Strange Adventures
by Kesslor the Blood Daemon
Summary: A Slayer, a thief, and a mage walk into a bar, and are joined by a berserker a bit later. It all goes downhill from there.
1. The Beginning of a dysfunctional party

**Hey people Kess is back and this time it's a DFO collab with Amiacon from DeviantArt and Ze Awesome P12ussia. These are our characters in the game. Rated M for a cussbucket Berserker and gore. Anyone who has not played Dungeon Fighter Online will be supremely lost. (It's a great game - go play it!)**

Suisha's tavern in Hendon Myre is a favorite stop for adventurers for a few different reasons. The elven landlady, infamous for her low-cut dress, has always drawn a large male crowd. If a dungeon fighter brings her ingredients, she will make a batch of healing drink to take on the next adventure. And, of course, the food and drink are just really good.

In this bar on a particularly rowdy night, a novice adventuring party was relaxing after a long day of monster hunting. The Mage Evecil had abstained from any intoxicating drink, but attacked his food with abandon. Eronel, a Thief, sipped a glass of wine and vigorously ate as well. The final party member, a Slayer named Komlin, swigged from a frothy tankard between large bites. They laughed and joked and Eronel and Komlin joined in whenever a rowdy drinking song rose from the ragged mass of fighters, slowly losing any sense of key.

The door creaked open and those nearest it gasped in shock. A terrifying scarred, white-haired, red-eyed man had entered the tavern, but most weren't looking at his odd coloring or the marks of many battles. They were staring at his right arm. The skin was the angry red of one under Kazan's curse, but the mark had spread far past what was considered safe, consuming almost half of his torso, and only the broken remains of a sealed lock hung on his wrist. He also held a heavy bludgeon that seemed to be made of some scaly material. Hendon Myre did not see many Berserkers.

Suisha stepped from behind the counter and approached the man. "Sir, I have to ask you to leave your weapon with me."

He threw his head back and roared with laughter. "'Sir'? When were you ever so formal with me, Suisha?"

"Do I know you?" she asked tentatively.

"Suisha!" the Berserker cried, feigning distress. "How could you forget one of your best customers? Eromreven's back in town!"

Suisha's eyes widened in surprise. "E? You've sure changed, kid! I thought you'd left town for good."  
With Suisha's recognition of the man, her patrons returned to their own business.

"You won't be rid of me that easily," Eromreven said with a wink. "Doin' GSD a favor. Might be heading back to Sky Tower soon."

As the elf conversed with her customer, Evecil leaned in and said to his friends, "Look at that guy! I'd hate to come against him in a fight. And shouldn't he have more on that arm than half of a broken lock?"

Komlin nervously eyed the man and rubbed his own arm. "Maybe he don' need it. Lotsa Demon Knights learn how'ta use ther powers. That kind don' wanna lock it."

Eronel said with a mischievous grin, "D'you think _yours'll_ ever get that bad, Komie?"

"Maybe," the Slayer said, "but I really don' wanna think 'bout it."

_Thump._ The Berserker now occupied the empty chair at their table. "You the kids GSD said're lookin' to get deep in the forest?" he asked.  
They all nodded hesitantly.  
"Great," he said with a grin. "Name's Eromreven." Only Komlin shook his proffered hand – the demon hand.

The three introduced themselves, then Komlin said, "GSD said'ja don' usually like partyin'. Why come?"

"We Slayers help our own. Not many others will," Eromreven said simply.

"I wonder why," Evecil muttered sarcastically under his breath. If Eromreven heard the remark, he ignored it.

"You two are pretty drunk," the Mage said sharply to his party members. "If we want to get out and do anything tomorrow, bed. Now," He rose from the table. "I get the feeling you'll be able to track us down once these two have gotten over their hangovers. See you tomorrow," Half dragging his comrades, Evecil shepherded them upstairs to the rooms they had rented for a few days.

Eromreven strolled across the tavern to the bar, where Suisha was mixing up drinks for a pair of Gunners. "Just a beer for now," he said, sliding some coins to her. "Oh, and my dearest barmaid, before I forget…" He dug around in his pack and pulled out a smaller sack filled with things he had collected in Sky Tower, which he also passed over the counter. "Think I could come back tomorrow and pick up something tasty?" he asked with a grin.

Shaking her head but smiling, the elf traded sack for beer, then began to go through the items. "You drink too much, E. I could probably keep this place open just on you. Oh, Simarilion Hearts, Dragonoid Eyes, Fire Stones – stopped by Blazing Grak on the way in, did you? You found some good stuff! This batch'll have your name on it," she promised.

The Berserker hopped off his stool and downed the last of his drink. "You're the best, Suisha!" He spun the empty tankard on his finger and handed it to her, backing away from the bar. "Until tomorrow, then." Someone smacked into his shoulder – a decidedly deliberate collision – as he turned to leave. Eromreven snarled up at one of the Gunners, a tall, gangly fellow, as his eyes began to glow demonic red.

"Watch it, freak," the Gunner said.

"Watch yourself, bastard," the demon growled. With a great force of will, he resisted punching the man out. Inhale, exhale… Inhale, exhale. The easily kindled fury slowly vanished as the Gunner walked away.

"What's this, E?" Shiusha teased. "Restraint?"

Eromreven grinned and blew her a kiss. "You got the best booze around!" he replied. "Now that I'm back, no way am I letting you kick me out for brawling again!" After a few steps, he paused and turned around, remembering something. He vaulted over the bar to collect his bludgeon from the rack on the wall, jumped over the bar again, and left the tavern.

Midmorning the next day, the three novices found Eromreven lazily sprawled on the grass where he had camped near Grand Flores, bottle in hand. He had found them when he stopped by the tavern earlier that morning and told them where to meet him.

"Hey," he called, waving them over. "Ready for some fun, kids?"

Evecil sniffed at the sight of alcohol. "Should you really be drinking right before a fight?"

The Berserker shrugged. "I done it enough. My tolerance's through the roof."

Rolling his eyes, Evecil turned towards the forest and took his staff in hand. "Whatever. Let's just go."

Eronel and Komlin produced their blades; Eromreven planted the tip of his bludgeon in the ground and used it to haul himself to his feet. "Coupla things you oughta know before heading out with me," he said. "I'm gonna need to beat the shit out of some of these nasties, but I plan to leave most of it to you kids. Sound good?" They all nodded. "And the other thing. When I'm sitting back watching, you might run into trouble. Not sayin' you will, but you never know. Long names are a bitch to yell in a fight, so just call me E if you needta."

"What if we come up with a different name for you?" Eronel asked with a mischievous smile.

Eromreven gave her a 'don't-screw-with-me' look. "Then I don't answer and you keep on needing help. Got it?"

"Got it."

They entered the forest. Eromreven led the party on until the main path vanished, splitting into small footpaths, and eventually they were following only a deer track. Along the way, he asked questions about their dungeoneering experience, gauging their strength so he could decide where to go. He took them into the heart of Tau territory: the personal domain of King Shauta. "The real Shauta's been dead for years," he informed them. "But there's always another idiot to take on the name thinking he can survive longer than the guy before."

He quietly pushed aside a screen of leaves revealing one of the clearings that the Taus and goblins made in their territories. Taus of varying sizes and colors mingled with Higaves and Sigaves and goblin Throwers. "This bunch is mine," the Berserker whispered, teeth gritted. He adjusted his left hand's grip on his weapon and clenched and unclenched his right fist. "Soon, you bastard," he murmured. "Keep it down for another five seconds, willya?"

He jumped from the brush and stuck two fingers in his mouth, shrilly whistling. "Come and get me, bitches!" he shouted, then charged in. A Berserker loose in battle is a fascinating sight: due to the power gained from their demon arms, they have a unique fighting style. While his left arm brutally swung the bludgeon into skulls, knees, stomachs, and anything else it could hit, his right clawed out, slashing into the monsters' guts and spraying their blood and organs in a deadly burst, often hitting and harming other foes.

As the last Tau dropped in front of him, Eromreven plunged his hand into its chest and tore out its heart. Claws punctured it, freeing a gush of blood, and he waved the other three over to join him. They stared at him with new respect seeing the destruction that one man could so easily wreak.

"Awright, your turn," he said easily, watching the Tau blood drip _up_ his arm, vanishing into his skin. The novices also watched in fascination as the red liquid defied gravity. "Yeah," Eromreven said, noting their gazes, "the fucker can control blood. Makes cleanup a breeze." It was true; the gore that had been splattered all over his body was being drawn to the red skin, leaving him unstained.

"Well, let's go," Evecil said. The undead Mage was the first to get over the unusual sight and took the lead. Eronel followed him, and the Demon Knights trailed behind.

"So what's it like bein' a Berserker?" Komlin asked.

"You mean being a monster?" Eromreven said dryly. "Total honesty, it sucks ass. Hard. Kazan Syndrome only gets worse. Hurts like hell sometimes. If I go too long without fighting, the demon tries to take me over. That's why I drink - makes the bastard sleepy. I do the shit I do because it's the only shit I _can_ do. People hate and fear us, so I accepted that fear. It fueled my anger, made me what I am. The only real happiness I can feel anymore is in battle." He broke into a lopsided grin. "But it's my life, and _fuck_ if I give up living because of a few stupid mistakes!"

"Wow. I don't think I could handle that if it happened all at once."

"Meh." Eromreven shrugged. "You get used to it. Or go nuts trying."

"... I might go nuts?" Komlin looked worried.

"Yeah, it ain't an easy burden to bear. I've heard about a few guys who just snapped from the strain of trying. Went demon, killed a lot of people. Were eventually killed themselves."

Komlin gulped. "I don' wanna die."

Eromreven laughed. "It's not like 'Zerkin's your only option. Go ask GSD about it later, he'll have some advice."

"Thanks, Eromreven. That really-"

"In case you weren't aware, we still have more monsters to go after," Evecil said in an annoyed tone.

"You're leading the way, magey boy," Eromreven called back. "Find any?"

"Yeah," Eronel said, slipping away. "They're just up ahead." She silently stalked through the trees to sneak attack the monsters.

"Finally, I can kill some stuff." Komlin huffed.

"Well, I'll kill them from back here," Evecil added.

"Great, you can hang out with me!" Eromreven said with exaggerated affability, putting an arm over the Mage's shoulders. "The coward and the demon, what a team!"

"I'm not a coward, damnit! I have more long-ranged spells than melee attacks. Duh."

Eromreven cocked an eyebrow. "Prove me wrong, then," he challenged coldly. "Go on, they're right there."

"While you two were arguing, Eronel and I cleared the room!"

"You guys sure are slow," the Thief added, wiping her daggers on her pants.

"Damnit!" Evecil yelled, "Why did he even have to come along?"

"'Cause he's fuckin' awsome!" Komlin cried.

"Thanks, kid." Eromreven gave him a small bow.

"Is there a way to make you less irritating?" Evecil asked.

"Nope."

"Well, shit," Evecil hissed. "You guys might be the second death of me."

"Oh, we wouldn't want that, would we?" Eromreven said sarcastically.

Eronel decided it was a good time to step in. "Guys, knock it off!" she said sternly. "We've got more important things to do than bicker like small children!"

"Whatever," Evecil said, and stalked off.

Komlin mumbled "Why does he have to be so annoying?"

Eronel shrugged. "Zombies aren't happy people?" she suggested.

From a distance Evecil yelled, "Not a zombie, you idiots!"

"Zombie with anger issues," Eronel whispered.

"Got that right," Komlin snickered.

"I heard that!" Evecil yelled back.

"Fine, then," Eronel shot back. "Let's keep moving." She took off, not bothering to see if the guys followed her.

"I like her," Eromreven whispered to Komlin.

"Oh do ya now?"

"Keepin' goin' _and_ trying to shut up the dead kid? Yeah."

"I'd rather rekill the dead kid," Komlin whispered back hoping Evecil didn't hear that. Of course he did, and with that Evecil left to scout the next room, hoping to leave the two annoying males behind.

Roars and shouts ahead told the Slayers that Eronel had already found the next batch of monsters. "Go get 'em," Eromreven said, grabbing Komlin's shoulder and shoving him forward. "And go actually fight _alongside_ your teammates instead of _with_ them!"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"That this is, right now, a pretty dysfunctional group." Eromreven jogged ahead to watch the fight.

"O-okay..."

Eronel sent a burst of flame at the goblins in front of her, jumped away from them, and kicked the Tau behind her in the face as Evecil shot magic bolts into the fray. They worked well together. Komlin was letting off a Mountainous Wheel when one of the magical bolts _seemed _to hit him in the back but went right through him.

"The frig? What just happened?"

"I can make it so that my magic will just hit the monsters. I told you when we first joined up as a party, remember?" Evecil asked.

"Nope." Komie said while decapitating a goblin.

"Handy, isn't it?" Eronel called, stabbing a Tau at the base of its neck.

The three quickly cleared out the monsters and ran off to find the next batch. They blasted through the next two areas easily enough, their teamwork tightening up as the rage over Eromreven dissipated. The Berserker watched from a safe distance, never interfering.

"When do you think we'll find Shauta, Eromreven?" Komie inquired.

Eromreven sniffed the air. "Judging by the stink, soon."

"He's probably through that big black gate," Evecil said with much sarcasm.

"Good point," Eronel said. "Let's go get him!" She dashed off to find the Tau King.

"Kill the Tau King, kill the Tau King." Komie sang the overused melody.

"Blood makes the grass grow! Kill, kill, kill!" Eromreven shouted as encouragement.

"The Hell? You are crazier than my brother," Evecil added.

"Thank you! Now git!" Eromreven lightly tapped the Mage with his bludgeon to 'encourage' him to follow his teammate.

"I'm not a dog," Evecil seethed.

"Wha? Where's a dog?" Komie was... excited? That's new.

"Never mind that." Eromreven shoved them both after Eronel. "You're a party. Act like it and go help her!"

"Okay!" Komlin yelled and ran off after the Thief. Evecil fired bolt after bolt at the Tau King's soldiers, and started using his more advanced spells. The three easily took out Shauta's minions, and when they finally started on the Tau King, attacked him from all sides. The flustered beast roared and lashed out wildly, but rarely hit.

"Hey, Shauta!" Eromreven shouted from the sidelines to rile him up further. "Your mother was a dairy cow!" The furious Tau charged him, but he easily leapt to the side and delivered a whack to Shauta's legs. Evecil ran up to the Tau King and attacked him with his ice sword spell, then backed off to fire more long-ranged attacks. Komlin attempted to rip off Shauta's head but his aim was off and sliced the horn instead He and Eronel dashed back in at the same time and delivered simultaneous killing blows as a final spell exploded on Shauta.

Komlin yelled "Dibs on the horns!"

"Take 'em," Eronel said, going through the rest of the loot Shauta had hoarded. She picked up a nice pair of new daggers, sliced the air with them to test the balance, and, satisfied, tucked them into her belt.

"There's never anything for me besides the usual stuff. Why do these guys never carry any staves?" Evecil questioned.

"Because they don't cater to whiny corpses," Eromreven shot from his position on the edge of the clearing. Komlin snickered at the remark, and Evecil chose to ignore it.

**That's it for the first chapter. Review please.**


	2. Family and Blazing Grakqarak

**Hey everyone, we're back with another chapter of Strange Adventures. Ze Awesome P12ussia and myself will be gone for the weekend, so the next chapter won't be up for awhile, but hopefully Amiacon will be able to write something.**

**Disclaimer: None of us own DFO.**

Back at the tavern, the party was having a victory drink when the door swung open to reveal the silhouette of a familiar shape. Evecil looked up and choked on his drink.

"Shit!" Evecil coughed out. "It's my twin brother." He hid behind Komlin and pulled his jacket over his head, determined not to be seen.

"What's wrong with that, magey boy?" Komlin asked, staring down at the huddling Mage.

"You don't want to know," Evecil replied with a shiver.

Eronel watched Evecil's twin from the corner of her eye. "Why not? He looks okay."

"'Fraid of your own family?" Eromreven scoffed. "I thought'cha said you're not a coward!"

"If only you knew how he acts, you wouldn't mock me," Evecil responded.

"Well," Eronel said, rising from the table with a mischievous smirk, "I think I'll go introduce myself." She walked over to the boy, smiling. "Hi. You new around here?"

"Yeah, I just got into town!" he said. "My name's Arren. How do you do?" He politely offered a hand to shake.

Eronel calmly took it and said, "I'm Eronel. You know, I've been working with a guy who looks a _lot_ like you."

"Really? Can I meet him?" He bounced up and down with excitement.

"Sure! We're having dinner right over there. He's hiding behind the Slayer." She pointed at the table where Eromreven and Komlin were watching them, laughing. When Arren saw the end of Evecil's coat, he shoved Komlin out of the way, and Evecil took off like lightning.

Eronel returned to her chair and could not restrain her own laughter.

"Wha- where are you going?" Arren cried, sprinting after him. "Wait up, brother!"

"Never! Get away from me, damnit!" Evecil yelled.

"No!" Arren launched himself into the air, crashing into Evecil and bringing him to the ground.

"Why do you always follow me, you twat?" Evecil snarled. Eromreven and Komlin were cracking up at the sight. Soon enough they were both rolling on the floor out of breath.

Arren turned a tearful gaze on his brother. "Bu- but I've been looking so hard for you!"

"I don't care!" Evecil growled, regaining his feet and dusting himself off. "Why do you think I left? I wanted to get away from you."

"Well _that_ was mean!" Eromreven called.

"Yeah!" Arren agreed. "Why are you being so rotten?"

Komlin snickered "You have no idea at all, do you? Evecil is actually a -"

"Not another word, Slayer! You don't know anything!" Evecil interrupted.

"Terrible person," Eromreven finished.

"Why'd you change what I was gonna say, E? I thought you didn't like Evecil either."

"'Cause you Slayers don't know jack," Eromreven chortled. "Berserkers, on the other hand, are _obviously_ smarter!" They dissolved into gales of laughter once again.

Eronel just rolled her eyes. "Come on, you guys, he's not _that_ bad," she said.

"No, he just doesn't like us, so we don't like him!" Eromreven told her.

"Still here, you know," Evecil grumbled.

"What are they talking about?" Arren asked. "My brother isn't a bad person!" He was still clinging to Evecil.

"They're idiots," Evecil said sourly, detaching Arren's hands from his coat; Arren went right back to clinging to his twin, and Evecil accepted his defeat. He dragged Arren to the table and pulled up an extra chair so they could sit by each other. Evecil buried his head in his hands and picked at his supper.

"Sooooo... Where to next? Blazing Grak?" Komlin asked, breaking the silence.

Eromreven nodded. "Yeah, I bet you guys could handle Binoche. No matter how many times you take her out, those damn goblin shamans just revive her again..." He shook his head in annoyance. When he had been traveling Grand Flores on his own, he and the witch had crossed paths many times.

"Well now you have a party to help with the shamans," Komlin said with a laugh of _slight_ intoxication. He had already had twelve beers.

"Doesn't. Fucking. Matter. There are _always_ more!" Eromreven snarled. "Oh, well. It's a pretty fun fight, so I guess I shouldn't complain too much."

"So how many times did you attempt to take her down before you won?"

"Once. And then she came back and I did it again. And again. And again. And again. We'll never be rid of the bitch, I'm sure." Eromreven laughed bitterly into his tankard.

Komlin asked, "What if we get rid of all the shamans on her side then went after her?"

Eromreven shot him down instantly. "Can't. They never come to battle for this exact reason. The little shits are afraid to fight."

"Oh. It took me a long while to come up with that too."

"Sorry, kid." Eromreven reached across the table and ruffled Komlin's hair. The table fell silent again.

"So, Eromreven, huh?" Arren asked, breaking the silence.

"Yeah?"

"That's an interesting name. Where'd it come from? I like names," Arren explained.

The Berserker shrugged. "My folks said it came from some old poem. I never read it when I was a kid, never wanted to. Now I've forgotten the name."

"Wow, cool!" Arren said. "They must be smart people."

"Yeah," Eromreven muttered. "They were." He finished his drink and stood up to leave. "See you lot tomorrow."

After the group ate their breakfast, they met up with Eromreven and set off to find Blazing Grakqarak in Grand Flores. Evecil and Arren were on edge as soon as they entered the area. "What's this ominous presence?" Evecil asked.

"Flaming Binoche," Eromreven said flatly. "Told you she's annoying."

"Why'd we have to come so early?" Komlin complained.

"There was nothing better to do in town," Eronel said.

"Still it's EARLY."

"Not really, lazybones," Eronel chortled.

"Oh yeah? Then what time is it?"

Eromreven looked up at the sky, gauging the sun's position. "I'd say it's... Adventuring o'Clock."

Komlin and Eronel chuckled. Evecil groaned at the barbarian's sense of humor.

"I think we're getting closer," Arren said, clinging even tighter to his brother.

"Yep," Eromreven confirmed. "Same as yesterday. First set's mine, you all get the rest."

"M'kay." Komlin stepped aside for the Berserker.

Eromreven charged ahead, taking a group of Hilgaves by surprise, and destroyed them with the same bloody eagerness that he had shown the day before. Once again, his arm absorbed as much blood as he could get to it. _This should be keepin' it happy for a while..._ "It's clear, kiddos," he called, waving them over. They were still impressed with the Berserker's power.

They breezed through the dungeon fairly quickly for their first time through, and quickly arrived at Binoche's room. Evecil held his staff in a death grip, knuckles white.

"B-brother," Arren stammered. "Are you okay?"

"Well, what do you think?" Evecil snapped.

"S-sorry..."

"Well, well, well," Binoche cackled. "If it isn't the little mage I killed! Back for more, are you?"

"You..." Evecil gasped. "It was you! You started that fire!"

She nodded. "That I did. Why? Are you angry?"

"No, not at all. You only _killed me!"_ He started forward, staff glowing. Arren tried to join him, but Evecil shoved him back. "This is _my_ fight!"  
The boy fired off spell after furious spell at the floating witch, rage growing with every swing. Binoche fired flame after flame towards the young mage. The magic collided with a thunderous _bang_ in the middle of the field; Evecil charged right into the explosion. As the smoke cleared, she saw him fling his staff into her face, firing off a Magic Cannon blast. The headless corpse fell to the ground.

**That's it for the second chapter. R & R please. ****Oh, can anyone give the reference for Eromreven?**

**It's an old reference. See ya!**


	3. Shadow Thunderland and travel

**Hey people! P12ussia and I have returned for our trip and Amiacon was kind enough to help us with writing while we were gone. The story is having some difficulty with having places where the chapters can end solidly. Anyway, on with the story!**

**Disclaimer: None of us own DFO, nor do we want to.**

"Good shot!" Eromreven said, clapping.

"I guess..." Evecil muttered.

"Seriously! I haven't seen many kids your age who would have both the spectacular aim and the power to blow that bitch's head off in one go."

"I was just trying to kill her. I really didn't know which spells I was using."

Eronel giggled. "Maybe you've got it in you to be a Berserker too!"

"Never joke about that! I would never be that bad," Evecil exclaimed with a shiver.

"Yeah, he could never!" Eromreven agreed. "He's missing a little... something." Grinning, he flexed his demon arm.

"What makes you think I would even want to be a Berserker?" he questioned.

"Well, it _is_ what you were just doing," Komlin pointed out.

"You'd be mad too if you ran into your killer, wouldn't you?"

"No, I'd be dead," Komie said with typical Slayer acuity.

"If you were in my shoes," Evecil said while rolling his eyes.

"Then my feet would be really cramped!"

"Forget it! You're never going to understand what I mean."

"All right!" Komlin agreed. "Forget what? Were we making lunch plans?"

Eromreven leaned down next to Evecil. "You know the little bastard's just messin' around, right?"

"Whatever," Evecil sighed. "Let's just go back to town. I need to sell some of the materials I picked up."

"You and me both!" Eronel said. She had made out like, well, a bandit.

"Ok! Back to town," Arren hummed in a cheerful manner.

So back to town they went. After all business was done with, they met back at the entrance to Grand Flores.

"Well, the only place you haven't been now is the _Shadow Thunderland,"_ Eromreven said in a spooky voice.

"There's some sort of something you're supposed to do to get there, but I found a short cut."

"Ok," Evecil said, his voice holding suspicion.

"Before we go, I want to get something straight," Eronel said. "I've heard rumors about _zombies_ there?"

Eromreven nodded. "Yep."

"Cool!" She and Komlin high-fived.

"Why must there be more undead creatures? And before you make a joke, no they're not related to either of us," Evecil said in an annoyed tone. Arren was only partly listening while _still _holding on to Evecil.

"Dammit!" Eromreven snapped in mock frustration. "There goes my punchline. Apparently there's some sort of evil interdimensional oogy boogy that makes things get up and go bump in the night. Don't ask me for details."

"What?" Arren asked coming out of his daydream.

"Didn't I just say don't ask?" Eromoreven said. "There are walking corpses there, that's all I know."

"Oh..." Arren hummed. "Wait. Walking corpses? Evecil, I'm scared!" he yelled.

"Can we just leave him here?" Evecil asked.

"Maybe if he'll let go of you," Komlin chortled. "Can we just go and kick some zombie butt?"

"I'm good as soon as Arren will let go," Evecil said while looking at Arren. Arren did get what he meant and let go of him, but instead became his shadow.

"Better idea." Eromreven walked towards the brothers and scooped them up, one over each shoulder, on his way into the forest. "Come on!"

"Put me down, Damnit!" Evecil yelled in protest.

"Fine." Eromreven gave Arren a meaningful look, mouthed "one, two, three," and dropped them.

"I hate that you can be so literal," Evecil muttered.

"I hate that you're so grouchy all the time," Eromreven countered. "We're even."

"Can we just go?" Arren asked with impatience for the first time since Evecil had known him, and Evecil was slightly shocked.

"Sure, sure," Eromreven said lightly, walking on. "I just thought you'd want to wait for your brother to get his ass out of the mud."

"I'm fine. _Thank you_ very much," Evecil remarked.

"Great," Komlin said, passing him to join Eromreven.

Arren, being the silly kid he is, yelled, "Adventuring we go!"

"Shut up, Arren! You're making my headache worse," Evecil whined.

Eronel passed him a potion. "Drink that. I can't guarantee about brothers, but it'll make your headache go away."

"Thanks. I'll be in a better mood after it's gone," Evecil said, and drank the potion.

They walked on for another twenty minutes or so when Eromreven suddenly stopped and held up his hand. "Stay here a minute," he ordered. He continued on into a clearing surrounded with dead trees. The air here was still and lifeless, carrying not a sound nor a breeze. He walked slowly, sweeping side to side across the clearing, feeling the air for something. At last, his hands went frigidly cold and he gave a small smile. "Gotcha." Stepping back, he pulled his bludgeon out and hit the small column of freezing air with a Ghost Slash. The sweep of his weapon seemed to unzip a door in the air, a whirling purple portal. "After we get through this, it'll close up and we can't leave until we beat boss zombie," he called, beckoning them forward. "Everybody ready?"

"Yeah," Evecil said. Arren just nodded his head in agreement. Eronel and Komlin also gestured their assent.

"I'll go last, just in case it closes before we're all through," Eromreven said. "Komlin, we want a hard hitter in front."

The young Slayer stepped through the portal and shivered. It was like walking under a freezing, sticky waterfall, but, fortunately, the sensation only lasted a moment before he burst out on the other side. Zombies. Everywhere. A mass groan rose from the dead horde and they shuffled towards Komlin. He drew his blade and rushed to meet them, joined a second later by Eronel. Evecil came next, then Arren, and finally Eromreven.

"Damnit! Why are they so resistant to magic?" Evecil yelled, firing bolt after bolt trying to keep the horde back.

"They're up an' about 'cause of some other stupidly strong magic," Eromreven said.

"Great," Evecil and Arren groaned.

"Doesn' mean you should give up though!" the Berserker growled. Eronel and Komlin were surrounded. "Blow up the fucking ground right behind 'em!" he advised.

"What made you think we would give up?" Arren asked, while he and Evecil cast a few spells.

_"Oh, great,"_ Eromreven mocked, slouching exaggeratedly. "Just makin' sure."

"Well _thank you _for caring," Evecil said with mock appreciation.

"Welcome!" Eromreven grinned broadly. "Jus' doin' what I'm here for, aren't I?"

"Whatever," Evecil muttered. "Arren there's more coming your way!" he yelled.

"Got it!" he answered, and fired off several Wind Strikes.  
Eronel and Komlin teamed up to finish the last zombie, then returned to their teammates.

"Wow..." Eronel panted. "That was intense."

"No kidding!" Komlin cried. "I'm totally pumped now!"

"Yep," Evecil agreed. He was bandaging some minor wounds that he and Arren had gotten.

"Want some help?" Eromreven asked, trying not to sound too eager. He had satiated the demon already; it was his own bloodlust now.

"I don't trust you enough to come near me or Arren," Evecil stated. "So, no."

"Not with the medicine shit, you moron!" Eromreven scoffed. "The fightin'!"

"I guess. Arren and I are temporarily unable to fight beacuse we used up too much energy, but we'll be fine in a bit. I don't know about those two though," Evecil said.

"I'm good!" Komlin said.

"Yeah, we're both all right, but an extra weapon out there wouldn't hurt," Eronel agreed.

"Hahaha, hell yeah!" Eromreven whipped out his bludgeon and easily spun it between his hands. "I been gettin' bored, watching you kids have all the fun!"

Evecil took a swig of an MP potion and gave the rest to Arren. "Ready?" he asked.

"You know it," Arren replied. "Let's kick some zombie butt!"

"I'm in!" Eronel said.

"Yeah, let's go!" Komlin was almost bouncing with excitement. The demon was beginning to have an influence on him, kindling the brutal desire for battle.

"Then what are we waiting for, dammit!" Eromreven shouted. "Let's go!" He sprinted away. Komlin bounded after and Eronel chased after him.

"Come on, Arren, and try to keep up!" Evecil shouted, running after the group.

"I can keep up, brother, and you'll have to keep up with me," he called to Evecil, momentarily passing him.

"You'll have to keep the lead for longer than a few seconds!" Evecil yelled back.

They dashed right into the next mob and Eromreven, as was his wont, brutally massacred anything within reach.

"Arren, watch your back!" Evecil yelled while fending off some zombies. "You're wide open!"

"Thanks for the tip!" Arren yelled back.

Komlin skidded around, dodging a Forest Zombie's swiping claws, and came face to face with his bloody mentor. "Whoah!" he cried, jumping. "Scared me!" He reached out and sliced the thing in two, then they just grinned at each other and ran off to where Eronel was fending off three Hollow Eyes.

"Just in time, guys," she said dryly, separating one from its arms with one knife and carving open its stomach with the other.

"Thanks." Eromreven jumped into the air and pierced one of the remaining two from the head to the ground while Eronel and Komlin attacked the last. Zombies gone, they paused to heal, and spent most of the afternoon in this manner.

"Finally we can take on the boss," Evecil said slightly worn out.

Eromreven held his hands in front of him and walked stiffly like a zombie. "Ready to face the dread monster _Goulghish?"_ he asked in his creepy voice.

The other four burst out laughing. "That is so funny," Arren giggled.

"You know it!" Eronel said. She leapt at Eromreven, dagger pointed at his heart. "Come on, _Goulghish!"_

Eromreven batted her attack away. "It'll take more than that, puny mortal!" he cackled.

"How about this?" Komlin had snuck behind him and brought his sword up to Eromreven's throat.

"Yeah, that oughta do," Eromreven said, nodding calmly. "I do like my bloody head where it is, thanks."

They collapsed into laughter.

"Man, I haven't laughed like that in a while," Evecil said while catching his breath.

"I don't remember the last time you did laugh, brother," Arren commented.

"Don't push it, Arren..." Evecil warned.

"See?" Eromreven chortled. "A bastard like me can be fun! You just gotta loosen up some."

"Alright. I'll try to stop being such a stiff," Evecil said.

"There's the brother I know!" Arren exclaimed happily.

"It's not going to be that much of a change," Evecil added. "Can we go kill Goulghish now?"

"Onward!" Eromreven agreed.

"Heh heh, he's a stiff," Komlin suddenly guffawed. "That's _funny!"_

Arren looked at him oddly. "Is he always like this?" he questioned.

"I think he's drunk on adrenaline," Eronel said. "Komie, pull yourself together!" She smacked him in the back of the head.

"I am _just fine!"_ Komlin attempted to assure them.

"No you're not," Evecil said. "You might get yourself killed at this rate."

"I will not." Pouting, Komlin turned away from them.

"Hey, I said might, that doesn't mean it will happen," Evecil shot back.

The air was getting colder as they walked on. "We're close, aren't we?" Arren asked nobody in particular.

"Yep," Eromreven confirmed.

"Then let's go!" Evecil exclaimed.

"Why are you so eager, Evecil?" Arren asked.

"I honestly don't know," Evecil said, slightly worried.

"Because he should be a Berserker!" Komlin joked. "He just doesn't want to admit it. Berserker Mage? Who's ever heard of that before, right?"

"Oh, Shut up. I'm worried that I'll end up like Binoche," he explained.

"That won't happen to you, Evecil," Arren said, trying to comfort him.

"Thanks, Arren" he replied.

"Like Binoche how?" Komlin asked. "Dead? Again."

"Idiot. I don't want to go mad with power," Evecil said. "It can happen to any mage, but usually the ones that tend to be stiffs like me," he explained.

"So by being me, I'm doing you a favor!" Eromreven laughed.

"Just forget it," Evecil said, turning to the gate. "Let's just go."

"I've always wondered why they build these gates," Eronel mused on the way through. "Gates in a forest? Why?"

"Ruins?" Arren offered.

She nodded. "Makes sense. I doubt the monsters could do something like that on their own."

"We can ponder that later, because we have company!" Evecil told them. "There must be at least fifteen zombies in here."

"Awesome!" Komlin yelled. "Let's go!" The three melee warriors dove into the fray.

"Arren, let's try combining our spells," Evecil said.

"But that could be dangerous!" Arren yelled while attacking some Hollow Eyes.

"And this isn't?" he shot back.

"Point taken. Let's try it."

"Alright, here it goes," Evecil said. Both mages prepared their spells. Evecil charged up a Water Cannon, and Arren charged a Concentrated Fury.

"Let's hope this works," Arren muttered.

"Focus, brother!" Evecil snapped, and let the spell fly. Arren's followed close behind, and the energies collided with a _bang!_, forming a ragingly unstable twister. The blast flew toward the group of zombies - and Eronel, Komlin, and Eromreven.

"Oh, shit!" the Berserker shouted, tucking into a roll just in time to dodge the storm of magically-charged water. The other two jumped at his shout without looking at what they were avoiding. It turned the mob of zombies into a pulpy, bloody mess. Goulghish alone still stood, staggering on its leg and a half. Evecil shot a Wind Strike at Goulghish, and Arren followed close behind with an Ice Sword. The tornado threw the zombie in the air, and the sword cleaved it in half before hitting the ground.

"Whoah..." Komlin said. "That was AWESOME!"

"Thanks, I think," Evecil answered. Arren looked to see if Goulghish had any good items on him.

"Evecil, come look!"

"What Arren?" he asked.

"I found some MP potions on him," he said cheerfully.

"Thanks for finding those. After that spell, we need them."

"That was some damn slick magic," Eromreven congratulated them. "Even when it was almost blowing my head off."

"Sorry about that," Arren said. "We didn't know what would happen when combined the spells, so you can't really blame us."

"Don't worry about it, squirt!" he laughed. "We're all alive and the undead're more dead!"

"So, back to town?" Evecil asked.

"Back ta town," Eromreven agreed. "Komie, wanna do the honors?"

"Sure!" The young Slayer followed him to Goulghish's body.

"This guy's the key to gettin' out. Feel 'round for a cold spot, then Ghost Slash it, got it?" Eromreven instructed.

"Yeah." Feeling a bit awkward, Komlin felt around in the air above Goulghish's body until his hands found the frozen air. "G-got it," he said, surprised at the intensity of the sudden chill. He backed off a couple of steps and raised his sword. Eromreven also stepped away and nodded, indicating that it was clear. Komlin's blade slashed downward, wreathed in the familiar shadow, and ripped the air open into the swirling portal.

"Let's go!" he said, beaming with his victory. They filed through, Komlin going last.

"So, does it have to be Ghost Slash?" Eronel asked once they were all back in the dead clearing, shaking off the chill of the portal.

Eromreven shrugged. "Dunno. Could probably be any shadow energy, but I only ever came alone. Never had someone else ta test it with."

"It doesn't feel that cold to me," Evecil stated. "I wonder why that is."

"Ain't it grand havin' good resistance to magic?" Eromreven answered.

"Is that it? It feels like the chill is more than just resistance."

"Hell if I know," the Berserker said simply. "Just guessin' here."

"M'kay," Evecil said. "Anyone need to sell anything?"

"I think we all do!" Eronel laughed.

"Oh, I had forgotten the stuff I had on me," Arren said. "Silly me."

"Silly you indeed!" She noogied him and started back the way they came. "Shall we?"

"Sure," Evecil said. "Want to meet back at the tavern?"

"Sounds good," Komlin agreed. Eromreven nodded, and Eronel said, "Plan made, then!"

"Alright! See you then," Evecil said, and walked off with Arren following close behind him.

"Do they know the way back?" Eronel whispered.

Eromreven shrugged. "Probably oughta go with 'em, eh?"

"We heard that, and we do know how to get there!" both of the twins yelled.

"Better sense of direction than I have, then," Eromreven said. "I only know this place so well 'cause of all the damn times I got lost."

Nel giggled and went to follow the Mages. "Well, if it works for you!" she said.

They emerged from the forest, blinking in the sudden brightness.

"Stupid Sun," Evecil muttered. "Spent too much time in that forest."

"Try living underground most of your life," Eronel said. "This doesn't seem too bad compared to my first day."

"Good point."

Back at the tavern, there was much joviality. Arren, being an idiot, let the Slayers give him some alcohol.

"This's -_hic-_ weird!" Arren slurred. "Th'floor won't stop moooooving!"

"That mighta been a tad strong for the kid," Eromreven said, scratching his chin.

Komlin nodded. "Yep."

"You idiots should know that you never give a mage alcohol. He could seriously hurt someone," Evecil stated.

As if to prove Evecil's point, Arren had gotten up, tried to walk, and was now spinning, magic sparking from his fingers and scorching his chair.

"Haha, pretty," he giggled, falling down. He tried to climb back up, but the chair could no longer support any weight and snapped, spilling him to the floor again.

"This might be a problem," Eronel groaned.

"No shit," was Eromreven's eloquent reply. He looked around nervously for Suisha. "She's gonna ping me for this, an' then bye-bye booze..." He sighed despondently.

"Arren, let's get you up to the room," Evecil whispered, knowing Arren's head would hurt later.

"But but but but - th' pretty lights!" Arren whined. "They're down here!"

"Those lights can hurt you," Evecil explained. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"No they WON'T!" Arren pounded the floor with his fists and a gout of flame rose from each.

"Oh, no..." Komlin said.

"Oh, no is right!" said a stern voice over his shoulder. Eromreven looked guiltily up at Suisha. "Which of you idiots gave a _young Mage_ anything stronger than apple juice to drink!"

The Slayers shrank down in their seats, trying to be as small as possible.

"I should have known it would be you, E," she said, glowering down at him.

"Komlin helped!" he protested.

"Fine." She grabbed each of them _hard_ by an ear and dragged them away. "See if I let you in for a couple of weeks! That'll teach you not to burn my bar down!"

"Nononononono! Suisha, I'm sorry!" Eromreven howled as she shoved them out the door.

"Serves you right!" the elf growled, slamming the door on them.

"Suisha, I'm sorry for how my brother's been acting," Evecil said and handed her some gold. "I think that's enough to cover for the damage he caused."

"Thanks," she said, taking the money. "And don't worry about it too much, he's blitzed." She went back behind the counter and grabbed a bottle, returning to the table. "I always keep some sleeping potion on hand just for this kind of thing. Let's get it in him before anything else happens." She forced Arren's head back and poured some of the amber liquid down his throat. Within moments, he was curled up on the floor. "There. That ought to lessen his hangover, too. Geez, what were they _thinking..."_ she murmured.

"Nothing, that's what they were thinking," Evecil said.

Suisha shook her head. "Of course. What else could I expect from a kid who'd fall in with E?"

"Not much," Eronel confirmed.

"Yep, well I need to get Arren in bed. See you later," Evecil called.

"I think I'll head up too," Nel said. "Thank you, Suisha."

"Not at all! Where do you think most of my profits come from?" Suisha asked. "It's a good thing most adventurers are an honest enough lot to pay for their messes." She waved them goodnight and left to return to tending her bar.

"Gee, thanks a lot," Komlin scowled. They were back at Eromreven's campsite.

"Me?" Eromreven said. "Who gave it to him?"

"Who _ordered_ it?"

"Fuck ordering it, whose idea was it?" Eromreven snarled.

"I... Don't remember..." Komlin said with a frown.

"So I blame you," Eromreven said, lying down on the grass.

"Well I blame _you!"_ Komlin yelled, punching him.

Eromreven, eyes blazing, leapt up and tackled Komlin to the ground, gripping the kid's throat. He stared down at Komlin for a long moment, panting hard, fighting to regain his composure. "Night," he said suddenly and flopped back down on the grass, back to Komlin.

"Night," Komie said, shaken by the episode.

The next morning the group met outside the tavern.

"Have a nice night?" Eronel teased.

"No," Komlin and Eromreven grumped simultaneously. Evecil was chuckling, and poor Arren was groaning because of his hangover.

"You stupid Slayers had to get me drunk?" He asked wincing at every sound he heard, even his own voice.

"Shut the hell up, you little punk," Eromreven snarled. "You're the one who _drank_ the booze."

"Don't blame him," Evecil interrupted.

"He's just mad 'cause _Suisha_ kicked him out," Komlin hissed.

"_Dammit, shut up!"_ Eromreven roared, smacking Komlin in the head.

"Oooh, got a little soft spot for more than just her drinks?" Nel crooned.

Eromreven glared at her. "Drop. It."

"He does, he does!" she laughed.

"Let's get going," Evecil said. "We should use what daylight we have."

"Yeah, it's a long trip to the West Coast," Eronel said.

"Guys, I don't feel so-_belgh!"_ Arren emptied the contents of his stomach on the pavement.

"Come on, Arren, you should not move so much," Evecil stated.

"Then how do you expect me to get there if I'm not s'posed'ta move?" Arren asked.

"Levitation spell," his brother simply stated.

Arren gaped. _"All_ the way there? I'm not that good at them!"

"Idiot," Evecil said. "I'm casting the spell, and I have plenty of MP potions, so don't worry."

"Just don't drop me," Arren whimpered. "My head might explode."

"Haha. I won't drop you," Evecil said softly. "You're my brother and I would never do that."

Eronel and Komlin stifled their laughter at Evecil's unexpected kindness. Eromreven just rolled his eyes.

"Hey, you have to be nice to hungover Mages. If you aren't there is a high possibility of getting hurt or worse," Evecil explained.

"Get hurt how? The Tau stampede in his head or the cotton on his tongue?" Eromreven growled. "He can't do shit right now. You just don't wanna admit you c'n be nice."

"I do have a nice side. It's just when I'm not in a good mood for a while I act a lot nicer than usual."

"It's true," Arren whispered.

"Weird," Komlin muttered.

"Some people say that's such a difference that I have two personalities. Which isn't true."

"You sure 'bout that?" Komlin asked.

"Yes," Evecil sighed. "I'm not mentally unstable."

"I had my doubts," Komie muttered.

"Guys, road trip? West Coast, Sky Tower?" Eronel reminded them. "Ring any bells?"

"Yeah, we're coming," Evecil said while levitating Arren.

They set out in silence until, on the edge of town, Eromreven cried out, "DAMMIT!"

Eronel looked askance at him. "Something wrong, E?"

"Suisha still has our weapons," he groaned. "Damn no-weapons rule."

"Crap! You're right!" Komlin realized.

"Oh, well," Eromreven sighed. "We'll go to Kargon when we hit the West Coast."

"Arren, I need to put you down now," Evecil said.

"M'Kay," Arren replied as he was set on the ground. "I think I'm better now."

"That's good," Evecil said with a slight smile.

The journey lasted two weeks on foot. It started smoothly enough. The usual banter continued for a few days until they ran out of things to talk about and fell into an easy silence. Early during the second week, Eromreven changed - he became withdrawn, angry, and when asked a question only spoke in grunts. All the time now, he hunted, but he only returned with dried-up bodies. At night, he slept away from the others and trailed behind when he walked with them during the day.

On the third day of this behavior, Komlin was elected to find out why.

"Why me?" he whined.

Eronel gave him _the look._ "Because he might actually talk to you," she said.

"It's our only option," Evecil added.

"Fine," Komie sighed. "But if he attacks me, I blame you guys!"

"If you're scared, wait until he comes back tonight. Then we'll at least be close," Nel suggested.

Komie nodded. "Good plan."

Eromreven returned late carrying a handful of rabbits by their necks. As he tore into the first one, Komlin crept from his bedroll and circled around to approach their unpredictable party member from the front.

"E?" he asked timidly.

Eromreven, in the middle of a bite, only looked up for a moment before returning to his dinner.

"What's… What's up?" Komlin tried again.

"Food," was the guttural response.

A word. That was encouraging. "I… see that."

"The hell you want, shrimp?" Eromreven grunted.

"I... That is, we - the others and I - " Komie couldn't seem to get the words out. An impatient growl issued from Eromreven's throat. "We - we were wondering, are you... okay?"

"'m I _okay?"_ the Berserker repeated skeptically, throwing away the bare rabbit skeleton. "Jus' fine! Only got a bastard of a parasite I gotta feed on _rabbit guts!"_

"Oh," Komlin said. "Is it bad?"

"Shit, it's bored." Eromreven dug his teeth into the next bloodless coney's neck, ripping the fur from its back. "Whatever the hell you do with yer life, kid, make sure it ain't this."

"Yeah..." Komlin left Eromreven's camp for his own, suddenly finding meat very unappetizing. As he reached into his pack for some bread, the others peppered him with questions, asking what he had learned. "He needs blood. A fight. The demon's bored."

"So why aren't you like that?" Nel asked.

"He let it have a lot more influence than I have. Or ever will." Komlin looked sadly over his shoulder at the bestial figure sitting in the dark. Did Eromreven just want to be alone as he fought for his sanity? Or was he truly afraid that he would lose it? Komie was afraid to know.

"Whooah..." West Coast was a huge, bustling port city infused with the scents of salt, fish, and people.

"This is incredible!" Nel said. "I've never seen the ocean before, or even smelled it." She inhaled deeply, enjoying the salt's tang.

"Not the best time," Komlin whispered. "I think we should just find this Kargon guy pronto."

"This way." Eromreven pushed past them down the main street. They kept as close as they could to the gruff Berserker as he shoved through the bustle of the street, which eventually opened on a market. He led them to a dark elf standing in front of a forge. The elf looked just as grumpy as Eromreven, but he was the best weaponsmith they could get to right now.

"Kargon, I need something," Eromreven said, digging for his wallet.

"What kind of something?" Kargon asked archly.

"Big. Metal. Preferably pointy. _Something."_

"Ah, the eloquence of a Berserker," sighed the smith. "Just a minute." He vanished into his shop and returned carrying a huge sword. "This flamberge should suit you just fine. Can you afford it?"

The asking price was ridiculous, but Eromreven haggled it down to only _most_ of his money, not all. He quickly handed over the gold and took the blade. "Sky Tower, south entrance," he called, running off.

"Did he mean follow him?" Arren asked.

Komlin snorted. "Doubt it. We'll meet him there later. He has to take care of that arm first."

"Take care of?" Kargon asked. "Did something happen?"

"We just came from Hendon Myre," Eronel explained.

"It was about two weeks, and the trip was awfully uneventful," Komlin continued.

"Two weeks without feeding it properly?" Kargon asked. "No wonder he was in such a rush."

They finished their shopping, did a little sightseeing, and meandered their way to the massive structure that dominated West Coast's skyline: Sky Tower, the bridge between Arad and Empyrean. The main entrance was swarming with adventurers. The less impressive southern door drew a much smaller crowd consisting of those who did not like to be near that many people at once. After they had been waiting for about half an hour, the stone door ground open and Eromreven emerged, looking a little battered but in much better spirits. He hoisted his new blade over his shoulder and waved, strolling over to his party. "Remind me," he stabbed the sword into the ground and plunked down next to it, "to congratulate Kargon on his craftsmanship."

"All right," Arren replied. "Into the tower?"

"I don't see why not," Evecil said.

"I'm ready," Eronel said. "Komie?"

He gave a thumbs-up. "Let's go!"

"Just a minute. I'm _starving."_ Eromreven pulled out some of his rabbit jerky, cleaned from the bones and torn into strips to everyone's relief, and choked down a few pieces as fast as he could. "Dry shit," he said, swallowing, "but it does the job. Onward!"

**That's where it ends. Hoped you liked it, R&R please!**


	4. Sky Tower

**Hey people, we're back and not dead! I'm sorry for not updating in a while, but writer's block struck hard. Anyway, with school starting soon I can only promise updating once a week, and that may not happen depending on how the teachers are. Amiacon and P12ussia will be writing with me as much as possible. So thank you for being patient, So here in chapter 4. **

**Disclaimer: We do not and never will own DFO.**

The party moved with caution up several flights of stairs, Eromreven annoyed at the slow pace, until they reached the section of the tower called Dragonoid Nest. They all entered roughly at the same time. The room was vast for inside the tower, and it was crowded with Serimalions. One look and the group knew that this room would give them no trouble at all. After twisting corridors and many more dead dragonoids, the party made it to the final room. Lakius was waiting for them.

"Hah, he doesn't look so scary," Komie scoffed. "If he's anything like his little friends, this'll be done in a minute."

"Let's do this!" Arren shouted, hurling a fireball into the dragonoids in front of them. Nel and Komlin rushed separate directions into the fray, slicing at the unfortunate reptiles and backed up by the mage brothers. Soon only one enemy remained.

Eromreven smiled knowingly. This would not be quite as easy as they thought. Lakius had a small surprise waiting for them. The twins ran towards Lakius firing off spell after spell, but Arren did not see the shadow of the cage falling down at him.

"Arren you idiot!" Evecil yelled while hammering at the cage, trying to free his brother before Lakius got to him. Arren smashed at it from the inside and was soon free, and they turned their attention back to Lakius, but were shocked to find not one, but two Laikus's charging at them. Eronel slashed at one; it tried to strike back, but soon vanished. Komlin attacked the other, slamming it to the ground. He was coming down on it with a Mountainous Wheel when it leapt back to its feet, throwing an orb of lightning around itself. The Slayer was thrown back, groaning. Evecil ran to Lakius and used his ice sword, wounding him, but not managing to kill him.

"Die already!" Nel shouted, slipping behind him and stabbing him in the back. The dragonoid turned on her, ripping the blade through his flesh with the movement. Growling, Lakius lunged. Eronel easily dodged their tired opponent's attack and caught his foot in one of hers, sending him sprawling. Arren followed this up with a Flame Shield, and Lakius was toast. After having their equipment fixed, the group moved onto the next level called Puppet Museum. Most of the adventurers that had gone in never came back out. Arren being the scaredy cat he is immediately cowered behind Evecil.

"Why are you so scared, Arren?" Evecil questioned

"Because, what if we don't come out?" Arren countered, his voice cracking.

"We will," Komlin assured him.

"Yeah, and if things go sour," Nel gestured at Eromreven, "we have backup. Don't worry about it!"

"Thanks," Arren said, but deep down he was still scared.

They mounted the last staircase and emerged on a plateau filled with statues. Of other adventurers. "Whoah, creepy," Komlin said.

"No kidding," agreed Evecil.

"This one looks... angry," Arren observed, leaning in close to a Fighter.

A grinding noise echoed around the eerie space and the nearest statues began to shake. Arren cried out in surprise and terror as a fist shot past his face. "Wha- wha- They're alive!?" he shouted. He ran back and cowered behind the others, clinging tightly to Evecil's back.

"It seems that they are alive, or they're being controlled," Evecil observed while firing off some Water Cannons, so Arren wouldn't mess with his movement.

"Eee hee hee, you have a clever one!" cackled a grainy voice. A small stone-colored creature with large eyes who rode a floating boulder emerged from behind a couple of statues. "You would make some lovely additions to my collection!"

Komlin's lip curled back in revulsion at the weird little Dogrie. "Ick. We'll pass."

The Dogrie laughed again. "The choice is not yours!" The floor under them warped, and a stone spike shot up right in their midst.

"Holy crap!" Evecil exclaimed while trying to dodge the rock. He managed to dodge most of it, but a few small shards became embedded in his shoulder.

"Agh!" Evecil yelped in pain and slouched to the ground.

"Little jerk!" Arren yelled, shooting a Wind Strike at the monster. A statue intercepted the attack and shattered as the Dogrie cackled.

Eronel and Komlin kicked into gear, smashing the nearest foes to rubble. Arren covered Evecil's share of fighting, giving him time to magically excise the stone shards from his flesh.

"Damn, it always hurts to do this," Evecil muttered.

"You could be doing it with claws," Eromreven interjected helpfully.

"Point taken," Evecil grunted as the spell took the last shards of rock out of his shoulder. He continued firing spells into the statues, assisting their melee fighters.

"Come out and fight, coward!" Evecil shouted hoarsely. His eyes travelled about the room in search of Dogrie.

"Over here!" it giggled, rising behind them from beneath the plateau. Eromreven rolled his eyes at the bizarre monster right behind him and slashed with his giant sword. The Dogrie fell, headless, into the abyss that was the Sky Tower's inside.

"Those things are _annoying,"_ the Berserker growled.

"For once I agree," Evecil added.

"Shocking." Eromreven shouldered his blade and started for the next staircase. "Come on, there are more. They need to _die."_ His carnal grin at the thought of murdering the strange creatures was a little scary. As they neared the end of the maze of platforms the number of statues and Dogries increased.

"Die, you scum!" Evecil yelled as he fired off a Flame Shield.

"Won't!" hollered a Dogrie from behind yet another statue.

"We'll see about that," Evecil replied with a sneer on his face and broke the statue with a Water Cannon. Before the Dogrie had time to call another statue, Evecil ran up to the Dogrie and stabbed it in the gut with the point of his staff, making it bleed out.

"The master..." it choked out, coughing on its blood.

"Master?" Evecil questioned.

"Dogries helped build Sky Tower," Eromreven explained. "Then they went nuts without a leader. Master Dogrie's fillin' the spot."

"Makes sense," Arren said, nodding, but something didn't feel right to him. Arren felt a burning anger form, and he did not know why. Little did Arren know that Master Dogrie had killed him by causing a landslide. Arren did not have clear memories of his death unlike his brother, so he brushed off the feeling. He still felt on edge even as the group reached the final platform.

The platform looked similar to the rest of the area, filled with statues and Dogries. The one that stood out was Master Dogrie. Arren immediately spotted Master Dogrie and bolted for him.

"Arren, get back here!" Evecil shouted trying to stop him.

"No! Something happened between me and him, and I must know what," Arren answered.

"Very well," Evecil said with a slight nod, "At the very least let me cover you,"

"Do as you wish, brother," Arren responded. Evecil looked back at the rest of the group to see if he was needed, but Eromreven had joined in the fray, and was causing the statues bleed left and right. _What the hell? How do statues bleed? _Evecil wondered. Turning back to Arren the twins took off towards Master Dogrie without another word.

They managed to get about half way before the statues became real nuisances. Arren growled and fired off a Flame Shield knocking the statues back and Evecil blasted them to bits with magic blasts.

"You will not escape," a raspy voice hissed. The twins turned around to find Master Dogrie staring at them.

"We will. After we finish you," Arren replied and vaulted into the air and rained bolts of magic down on Master Dogrie.

"Not good enough," Master Dogrie hissed.

"Then try this!" Arren shouted while firing off a Water Cannon, followed by Flame Shield, and finished his attack with a Magic Cannon.

"I will not be defeated that easily," Master Dogrie whispered while struggling to get up. He looked to the left of Arren and spotted Evecil, and a plan formed in his mind. Master Dogrie lunged for Arren, but broke to the left and tackled Evecil wrapping his hands around the mage's neck.

"Damn you," Evecil choked out.

"Get away from him!" Arren snarled as he threw Master Dogrie off of Evecil and beat it over and over again with his staff until Master Dogrie was an inch away from death. "Now tell me," Arren began, "Why do I have the feeling that we have run into each other before?"

"Silly mage," Master Dogrie coughed. "You really don't remember, do you?"

"All I have are feelings and some blurred images, now talk!" Arren demanded.

"I was the one that killed you in a landslide," Master Dogrie croaked.

"You lie!" Arren screamed.

"It is the truth," Master Dogrie responded.

"I will never believe you," Arren said with a spite filled voice and ended Master Dogrie's life with one last blow.

"Come here, brother," Evecil called softly. Arren turned around and ran into Evecil's arms, and broke down crying.

"Feel better?" Evecil asked after a while.

"Yeah," Arren replied.

"Aaaaawwww..." Komlin and Eronel said, making fun of Evecil since he was being nice to his brother again.

"Knock it off, you two!" Evecil grumbled. "We should be getting back to town."

"Why?" Arren questioned.

"Call it a hunch," Evecil replied.

"Then let's get going!" Komlin said and the party climbed back down the tower to return to West Coast.

**Well that's the end of this chapter. Sorry if it came up on the short side. Next chapter is... Class Advancements! Review Please!**


	5. Class Advancements

**We're Back! No we're not dead. Amiacon is sorry for the long wait because she was hit with a bad case of writer's block. -_-' Anyway thank you for staying with the story even though it's been a few months. After we finish this story there will be a sequel. I'm so excited! Here's the latest chapter, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: We don't own DFO. Need I say more?**

The group all went to talk to Seria, and when they arrived, everyone but Eromreven discovered that they had mail.

"We got a letter from Sharan," Evecil stated.

"I wonder what she wants to tell us?" Arren pondered.

"Well, let's see..." Evecil muttered. "It's about our class advancements. We could either become a Glacial Master or an Elemental Bomber."

"Minet," Nel said, opening her envelope. "Necromancer or Rogue."

"G.S.D. Asura, Blade Master, Soul Bender, or... Berserker," Komlin finished. He cast a glance at Eromreven, who shook his head in warning. "Why d'you guys think we all got them at the same time?"

"It's a spell Sharan set up," Eromreven explained. "Adventurers get t'a certain level, they get the note. You're all travelin' together, so you're growin' at the same speed." The others stared at him, surprised. "What? I asked the old coot, he said ask Sharan! That's how she explained it."

Evecil shrugged. "Okay, whatever."

"To Sharan!" Arren cried, walking in a random direction.

"Arren, Sharan is in the other direction," Evecil said.

"I'm off to G.S.D. What to choose... Hmmmm..." Komlin contemplated his choices.

"I have to go back to Hendon Myre too. We might as well keep traveling together," Nel offered.

"Sounds good to me."

"Can you guys wait to see if we need to go back too?" Evecil questioned.

"Yeah, sure," Eronel agreed.

"Thanks. Well, we'll be back in a few minutes," Evecil said and started for the door, Arren on his heels.

After a good ten minutes of walking the twins made it to the mage guild and saw Sharan out front.

"Hello, Sharan," Evecil said. "We received your letter,"

"Thank you for coming," Sharan began. "What do you choose for your subclass?"

"I'll become a Glacial Master," Evecil responded.

"And I will be an Elemental Bomber," Arren said.

"Very well, both of you go talk to Iris,"

"Okay." They both said and walked towards Iris.

"Hello, Iris," Arren chirped.

"Hello young ones. What can I do for you? Iris asked.

"Sharan said to talk to you about class advancements," Evecil said.

"That is correct." Iris responded, "Which class do you want to choose?"

"I want to be an Elemental Bomber," Arren said.

"And I wish to be a Glacial Master," Evecil said.

"Evecil, you need to go to Middle Ocean in Sky Tower, and Arren, you need to go to Full Moon Thunderland, and then you will unlock your new spells."

"Back in Grand Flores?" Arren asked just to be sure.

Iris nodded. "Back in Grand Flores." She handed each of them a scroll on which were written the spells to open portals to these special areas. "These will open portals to the areas you need to go."

"Very well." Evecil took the scroll and turned to leave. "Thank you, Iris."

"You're welcome," Iris responded. Arren trotted off after his brother, and they departed in search of the party.

The twins found the party, but first Arren had gotten himself lost again.

"Well, Arren needs to go back to Hendon Myre with you guys. I have to go back into Sky tower," Evecil announced.

Komlin nodded. "'Kay."

"Glad to have him along," Nel said with a smile.

Arren bounced a little. "It'll be fun!"

"I'll see you when you get back," Evecil said, then turned back to head towards Sky Tower.

"Hey, E?" Eronel asked. "What are you going to do while we're gone?"

The Berserker shrugged noncommittally. "Hang around an' kill shit, I guess. Wanna go face some real challenges again."

"Awright," Komie said. "See you later, I guess."

E grinned at them. "If I don' go an' get myself stupidly killed, eh?"

"Right!" agreed Arren.

The trio said their goodbyes, then left to prepare for the trek back to Hendon Myre.

Evecil stood in Sky Tower's entrance hall and unfurled the scroll. The spell, like all others, was written in a different language, so he took a minute to read it and make sure he had the words right.

Sighing, Evecil started to chant, "Un mage est ici prêt à entreprendre son procès. Déverrouillez le chemin de l'océan Orient!" (Translation note: A mage stands here ready to undertake his trial. Unlock the way to Middle Ocean!) A platform of light appeared before him, and Evecil stepped onto it. The platform took him up to a door that was decorated with wave designs. Evecil pushed open the door and took his first steps into Middle Ocean. After fending off several waves of Dogries and Puppets, Evecil came to the final door. Evecil gasped when he entered the room. Lakius, Master Dogrie, and the Gold Platoni. "You've gotta be kidding me," he groaned. "Three against one? That's hardly fair. Come back with a few more friends and a lot more skill. Then you'll stand a chance." With that he charged up to the bosses, and proceeded to kill Master Dogrie first, then Lakius, and then he started to fight Gold Platoni. Gold made a grab for Evecil, but Evecil dodged out of the way and retaliated with a Wind Strike.

After a few minutes of going back and forth Evecil finally killed off Gold Platoni. With a sudden gasp, he fell to his knees as radical changes to his physiology occurred. Evecil felt his body temperature drop and the air felt even warmer. Evecil stood up and walked up to the mirror and stared at his reflection. His hair had changed to a white color and fell straight down instead of its normal style. His clothing was different as well. Gone were the insanely poofy black clown pants and in their place was a pair of loose fitting slacks that tucked into his boots, and a red sash around his waist. After gawking at his reflection for a bit, Evecil headed back out of Sky Tower to find E.

After searching for Eromreven and not finding him, Evecil sat down at the entrance to wait for the Berserker. While waiting for E, Evecil started experimenting with his new powers, and discovered that his breath was now foggy every time he opened his mouth.

At last, Eromreven emerged from the tower, looking a little beat up and extremely pleased with himself. He scanned the surrounding area, but seemed not to recognize Evecil and began heading back to town to take care of the usual post-adventure business. The mage contemplated letting him go and meeting up on his return - the peace of solitude was quite appealing while it lasted - but decided he might as well do it now. He rose to his feet and, careful to move as quietly as he could, followed the Berserker, slowly closing the distance between them. When he was only a couple of feet behind, he activated a levitation spell, creeping even closer.

"Face me, ya coward," Eromreven snarled, not looking back. His hand drifted menacingly to his blade.

Evecil breathed out hard.

"The hell!?" E shouted. He spun to face his stalker, ice crystals tinkling in his wild mane. "Who the - runt?"

Laughing maniacally and clutching his sides, Evecil managed to nod. "You should have seen your face!"

The snarl dropped from Eromreven's visage, but he still was not happy. "That was fuckin' cold, ya little bastard! Never. Again."

"You think I'd ever want to get that close to you again?" Evecil asked with exaggerated incredulity.

"I hope to hell you don't," Eromreven replied with a crooked grin. "So yer done an' rearin' to go, huh?"

"That's right," Evecil nodded.

"Well," E said tantalizingly, "Ya might like ta see what's above Sky Tower."

The mage's jaw dropped. "You found the way to Behemoth?"

"'S right! Haven't gone into the new dungeons yet, but I finished up here and started talkin' to some of the people 'round there. Some weird shit's goin' down."

"What kind?" Evecil asked eagerly.

"Well..." Eromreven said slowly, enjoying keeping the mage in suspense. "I ain't exactly sure..." His wicked grin gave him away.

Evecil punched him and cried, "Yes you are! Tell me!"

"Haha, you got me," E laughed. "There's this weird... thing by the name o' Lotus that's gone 'n' fucked up this group called GBL, made 'em evil. The, uh... zealots're all over Behemoth doin'... shit."

"GBL..." Evecil mused. "You wouldn't happen to know what it stands for, would you?"

The Berserker shrugged. "I reckon she told me, but it didn't seem important."

"You should always get as much information as you can!" Eromreven's impatience infuriated Evecil. "Why can't you stop to think before you charge in?"

"I do my thinkin' on th'way in," E growled. "You think I give a damn what their letters stand fer when folks're needin' our help?"

"When it can help you figure out how to defeat them? Yes," Evecil said, exasperated.

Eromreven snorted. "I already know how ta beat monsters down. What more do I need?"

"We might need to know why this is happening so we can stop this at the source," Evecil said while rolling his eyes.

"Ah, we'll figger that out as we go," the Berserker said with a shrug.

_Back in Hendon Myre..._

"I need to head to GSD for my class up to Asura. Meet all back here?"

"Sounds good. See you guys tonight," Nel agreed. She, Komlin, and Arren had arrived in Hendon Myre the night before and spent the night at the tavern, agreeing to finish their class advancements as quickly as possible the next day. As Komie approached GSD, said "Sounds like_ Sir_ Komlin has returned with his decision."

"Got that right GSD, I'm ready to become an Asura."

"Then go get the mind's eye potion from Loton and meet me at Moonlight Tavern."

"Um... OK, How much will it cost? I'm low on funds."

"Free. He makes you get the ingredients, he brews the potion." So Komie was on his way to acquire the potion. Loton warned him about the effects as he handed it over. He went over to the tavern and asked Suisha in what room GSD resided.

"Down the hall and to the left in the mock arena."

"Thank you, O great bartendress."

"You're welcome, peasant." They both cracked up so hard they got the crazy stare. Komie was about to enter the room when GSD spoke from the shadows, "Drink the potion before you enter. This will be your test."

"Loton told me this makes the drinker blind. Is that true?"

"Yes. Did you not listen when I said Asura's are blind?"

"I listened, I just thought you would blindfold me or something."

"Then you wouldn't rely on you mind's eye."

Komie whined, "Why did Asura have to be my choice?"

"I don't know Komlin. Just drink the potion and spar with me."

"Ok..." Komie drank the blindness potion and stumbled for a bit then found he could see different energies of people and objects. The fight only took about 30 minutes or until GSD said stop. Whichever came first.

GSD blatantly stated "You are able to see with your mind's eye. You are now an Asura."

Komie jumped in glee. He also exclaimed " Woo hoo! Asuraness has been achieved!" he also felt GSD place a blindfold over his eyes. "So now you put the blindfold on?"

"Yes, now go and meet up with your friend, the Elemental Bomber."

"How do you know that's my friend?"

"His girly shriek and the smell of smoke."

"Oh. Holy crap! Arren, I'm coming to help you!"

"I blame curiosity!" Arren shrieked.

"Minet?" Nel asked softly, walking quietly down a grungy back alley. Why her secretive mentor always insisted on meeting in dark, out of the way places, she did not understand.

At the sound of footsteps around the corner, Eronel ducked into a shadow on the side of a building and froze, poised to act. Forcing even her breathing and heartbeat to be as silent as possible, the Thief waited on tenterhooks as the footsteps - two pairs - rounded the corner. She relaxed as Minet appeared, but clenched her jaw to prevent a sound as she saw Minet's companion: a Necromancer. How could Minet train Rogues of the Queen's Royal Guard and the Elders' Necromancers at the same time? Was she playing both sides of this war? The Necromancer and Minet parted ways, Necromancer walking away from Nel and Minet approaching.

The instructor gave no sign that she had been aware of Nel's presence until she passed her hiding spot and paused. "I suppose you saw that, Eronel? Your silence is commendable; she did not notice you."

"Why do you work with the dogs who are trying to overthrow the Queen?" Nel demanded, stepping into the open. "Are you not on our side?"

Minet finally looked at her student. "Yes and no. I am a double agent. Queen Maya sent me to infiltrate the Elders, and both ordered me to the surface to train novices to their causes. What none of them know is that I have my own reasons for doing this as well, and I hope you are mature enough to understand them.

"This fighting between factions has gone on far too long. I do this in the hope that one day, another will approach me with the goal to bring peace to our warring people."

What surprised Nel most about the declaration was that Minet had actually been willing to talk about her past. Before, she had insisted that it was unimportant; now Eronel understood that she had simply wanted to keep it hidden.

"All right then," Nel said casually. "That is a good goal. And I suppose you already know why I am here?"

"I do indeed. To become a Rogue of the Royal Guard, there are two trials you must undergo," Minet explained. "For the first, you will go to the Tower of Illusion. This trial will test your speed and Dreyfus you are training to become a Rogue, and he will give some of your illusory foes money task is to determine which opponents have these pouches and collect five of them. When you have, return here for your next assignment." She held a hand out in front of her and chanted under her breath. A dark oval that shimmered like an oil slick grew into the size of a door, hovering in the air."This portal will take you to the Tower, and another will appear when you finish there."

"See you soon," Nel said with a confident smile, and she walked confidently into the portal. She had braced herself for a sensation like Shadow Thunderland's entryway, but Minet's was constructed much better: the transition between locations was perfectly smooth. Steps echoing on the polished tile floor, Eronel calmly glanced around the Tower's lobby, wondering if she would see Dreyfus in person this time around. "Reaper Dreyfus!" she called.

"Eronel the Thief," boomed Dreyfus's voice in response. No Reaper today.

"Not much longer!" Nel said. I am here for the Rogue's first trial."

"Then ascend the stairs when you are ready to begin."

Determined not to fail, Nel drew her blades and started up the staircase at the far end of the room.

Finding the money pouches was easy, but retrieving them sometimes posed a challenge; the most skilled opponents always had them. When she had five in her possession, Eronel did not want to waste time finishing the tower, so she had Dreyfus end the illusion there. When she walked up the next set of stairs, she found herself back in the lobby with Minet's portal waiting.

She appeared once again in Minet's favored back alley. Without a sound she ducked into the shadow at the side of a building and began walking, sure that she and Minet would find each other.

Up ahead, Nel saw someone whisk around a corner, and, with no better clue to tell her not to, she followed. Silently stalking her prey, Nel cautiously rounded the corner. Nothing. She released a small sigh of disappointment and kept walking.

"I was about to compliment your skill until that sigh," Minet said.

Nel whirled. "I was just so convinced I'd gotten the jump on you," she said. "I shouldn't have, I know," she said.

"No, you shouldn't," Minet agreed. "You have succeeded?"

Her student silently produced the five pouches and held them out. Minet took them, and they vanished into smoke. "Your next task is to defeat the ancient golden golem, Gold Platoni, in Sky Tower."

Nel groaned. She hated fighting golems. Their armor was just too thick for her little daggers, and their weak spots were few and difficult to reach. But she had to do it, so she would do it. "All right," she said resolutely. "I'm ready."

Minet gave a small smile. "You seem reluctant, but are determined to press on. Good."

"And I will not fail." Nel confidently walked through the portal and right into the golems' midst. The time it took for them to realize that an intruder was in the room was ample for the Thief to get her bearings, recognize the greatest threats, and start moving. The Dogries - soft, easy targets - would be the first to go. The great, lumbering Golems would not be able to catch up with her until she was ready to deal with them.

She sliced the last Dogrie's abdomen open and turned around to deal with the Golems, but, to her surprise, they no longer dwelt within their heavy armor! Instead, hovering before her were several semitransparent Golem spirits. "Let's hope you can still be cut," she said under her breath, then started to work.

She passed the rest of the dungeon with relative ease, daggers flashing with shadow and flame as she methodically destroyed every monster to cross her path.

Finally arriving in Gold Platoni's dwelling place, she glanced around to make sure her current strategy would still work. Ugly monkeys, spirits, Platoni. Go. To her disappointment but not surprise, Platoni could not be shucked from its armor with the destruction of the Golem Commander, but she shrugged it off. There was more than one way to skin a Golem.

As predicted, the shining behemoth, which had to be made of something other than gold with armor that tough, was a troublesome foe. A few healing potions came into play, but Nel finally managed to hack its breastplate loose enough that she could climb on its back, reach one arm in, and stab its power core.

Platoni began to shake. A horrible groaning echoed throughout the chamber. Wrenching her arm and weapon out of its chest cavity in a hurry and jumped off just as the massive Golem began to tilt forward. The crash of Platoni's impact shook the floor and rattled her teeth, and Nel stood proudly in front of her huge kill. She had done it.

The sound of whirling air behind her heralded the arrival of Minet's portal. Inwardly celebrating the victory but outwardly composed, Eronel the soon-to-be Rogue returned to her mentor in Hendon Myre.

To her surprise, Minet was standing in the open, waiting for her. "I have slain the Gold Platoni," Nel declared proudly.

"Indeed you have," Minet said approvingly. From a pocket she produced a fine silver chain bearing a small pendant: the crest of the Queen's Rogues. "Congratulations, Eronel," she said, handing the necklace over. "You are truly a warrior of Her Majesty, Queen Maya now. Do not lose this pendant. It is proof that you have passed the trials."

Nel fastened the necklace around her neck, doing her best to keep her hands from shaking with excitement. Here she was, one step closer to becoming the elite fighter she had always dreamed of: a Silver Moon. "Thank you, Minet, for your guidance. I hope I may continue to return here."

"Of course," Minet answered. "There is much left for you to do."

Nel grinned. "That's right. No way am I going to stop here!" She turned and left, eager to rejoin the boys and hear the tales of their successes.

**That's it for this chapter. Review please, that will help us with writing.**

**See Ya!**


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